Potato-digger



(No Model.)

W. F. 8v 0. MAVES' POTATO BIGGER.

Patented Set. 14,1897,

UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

XVILLIAM F. MAVES AND CHRIST M AVES, OF DAVEJPORT, IOW'A.

POTATO- DIGGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 589,846, dated September 14, 1897'.

Application filed August 7, 1895.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that we, WILLIAM F. Mnvns and CHRIST MAVES, residing at Davenport, in the county of Scott and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Potato-Diggers, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to potato-diggers, a composite structure the parts of which have no movements in relation to each other, and in that sense have not machinal but have constructive functions in the machine.

The object of our invention is to provide potato-diggers of this class which are simple in construction, which will run with light draft, which will raise the potatoes together with the adjacent soil in which they lie, and which will separate the potatoes, the weeds, and the soil with improved results, which shall combine strength with lightness and simplicity of construction, which shall be durable and economic of manufacture, and which can be easily manipulated in operation; and to this main end and object our invention consists in novel structural features and novel combinations, in which combinations the parts codperate in producing results which arise from the combined action of the several parts and not from the separate action of each, as hereinafter more fully described, and as summarized in the claims hereto appended.

In the accompanying drawings we have shown our invention. carried into effect in that precise form and organization of parts in which we have successfully practiced it. It will be understood, however, that some or all of said parts maybe varied or modified in their structures and organizations without departure from the purview of our-invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective of a potato-digger embodying our improvements; Fig. 2, a side elevation;

I Fig. 3, an elevation of the main parts seen from the rear and sectional elevation of other parts in the line 3 3 in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a sectional plan of parts in the line a 4: in Fig. 2.

The share or scoop A is a plate of sheetsteel or other suitable metal of triangular form, with curved sides and preferably a straight rear side, and is of such curved form in its transverse section as to have a concave upper and convex lower side. The rear part Serial No. 558,513. on model.)

b of the beam B is curved downwardly and forwardly to its lower end I), where it is fixed to the scoop A by means of the bolt 12 which bolt also fixes the forward end of the runner O to the beam and shovel. The runner G, of rigid metal, is curved upwardly and forwardly at its rear end to facilitate drawing the digger backwardly, and is connected with the scoop A in such manner as to hold the scoop when in operation in the inclined position shown best at Fig. 2.

The inner or adjacent ends of the bars D are attached to the rear end part of the beam B by means of a clip E and bolt e, which clip binds the upturned ends of the bars D against the sides of the beam. The bars D extend laterally, downward, and outward in opposite directions from the beam B and for purposes hereinafter described are located in a plane above the highest part of the scoop A. The central screen-finger g is fixed at its forward end to the lowest part of the rear end of the scoop A by the bolt Z2 and is fixed at its rear end to the rear part of the beam A by means of the clip E, which receives its downturned end between the forward part of the clip and said beam. The series g of screen-fingers g at each side of the finger g are bolted at their forward ends to the the scoop A and extend backwardly and upwardly and diverge to ward their rear ends, in order to give greater width to the two series of fingers at their rear than at their forward ends. The rear ends of one series of the fingers g are bolted to one of the bars D and those of the other series to the other bar D. Handles H and braces h are fixed to each other and to the beam B in an ordinary manner. The forward ends of the screen-fingers being, as shown and described, fixed to the rear side of the laterally-curved scoop A will together form at their forward end parts a trough-shaped passage-way'(see Fig.2) for the potatoes, soil, weeds, and debris, which are raised by the scoop A as it passes forwardly beneath them in operation. By reason'of the rear ends of each series of screen-fingers being fixed to a downwardlyinclined bar D, as shown at same figure, said trough-shaped passage-way will a short distance in rear of its forward end be divided in such manner that the potatoes, soil, weeds, and debris will pass to each side of the finger shaped passage-way for the potatoes, soil, and I "dehristoward the rear end partsiof the two 60' I series of 'screen fingers, whichrearend parts a a of each series 5! incline downwardly and ontiwardly from their adjacent sideaorfromi the fingers g, All'ofthe screen-fingers incline g as the two scricsof screen-fingers passbeneath them by theforwardmovement of the digger.

As the scoop A mores forwardly in opera tion it will pass beneath the hills of potatoes, and the potatoes, together with the soil, weeds,

, tops, and debris, willbe forced npwardlyand upwardly'fromtheir'forward ends to theiros I l I overthe,screensfingersas the digger'passes rear ends, and aredirergent from near their 7 beneath them. The trough-shaped forward forward ends to their rear ends, so that the 10133111 oft-he two series of scrcelnfingerswilil twoseries of screensfingers are widerat'their pguidc said material centrally of the screen-- rear ends thanat theirforwardends.-

fingers ashort distance, whence it willzbex Constructed as described,-asthe digger 7o r I I I I I I I I I forced upwardly by the: passage of the cup passes forwardly inoperation the scoop will o c o o o o o o p I wardlydnelined"rearpartsofthe'screeinfiin' raise the potatoes,soil, anddebris, and the i i i i i i i 1'5 gers beneath it Assuch materialpassesup-- screen-fingerspassingbeneathsamewill raise I I I I I wardly over thetwo-series of screen-fingers them towardtheirhigherrear end parts,cver

c c c c c c c c toward theirhigherpartsit will by its own whichthey will roll "and slide, partly pass '75 c c c gravity, bythe forward movement of thedigthrough andpartly pass outwardlyand down- I I I I I I get, and by sliding and rolling thereover, :wardly,and,ashereinbeforedescribed,bc pub I zoo/tend toward discharge at :bothsidesofthe vorizedandthe potatoes, soihand debris be i screen-fingcrs and the soilbe, thereby com-i spreadanddepositedinaswathconsiderably" I pletcly loosened,so. thata greater partofit widerland shalloweriorthinner than the space 80 occupied bythe same material before being c c will fall through between the screenefingers operated on by'the potato-digger, and the together with many of the smallerpotatoes,

while thereniainderof the potatoes will pass 7 .off the sides of the series of fingers and all be spreadont in a swath, widened and thinned by the wider rear-part ofthe scrics'of'screenfingers to snch anextent as toexposcall the potatoes toview, so that they may be i easily collected, the greater part of the potatoes bec ing dischargedinlines at the sides of the se-o ries of scrccn fingersl The weeds, roots,*po-

c tato-tops, and thelighterdebri-s will" to some extent cling together and pass upwardly over the finger g or higher part of the screen-finger passage-way and be discharged laterally from the higher rear end part thereof.

The essential feature of our invention, it will thus be seen, rests in a composite structure in which the parts are so disposed that the curved rear part of the beam B is entirely beneath and in rear of the finger g and the two series 9 of fingers, whereby this part of the beam will not interfere with the free passage of the soil, potatoes, and weeds rear- Wardly and upwardly over the screen-fingers and bar 9, and in which the screen-fingers are fixed at their forward ends to the scoop, which is curved laterally,-so that the forward end parts of each series g of screen-fingers, considered as a body or surface, inclines downwardly from its outer side toward its inner side, or side next to the central finger g, which finger g operates in combination with both series g. This downward and inward inclination of each series of screen-fingers at and near their forward end parts forms a trough potatoes be thereby deposited mostlyin lines fronr'the onterisidesref-the two series of screernfingers and thc remainder exposed in vthe upper part of the swath'of soil and debris.

Havingth 11s described our invention, what we iclainias new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent; is-

g1. In a potato-digger and' in combination snbstantiallyas described, the beam B having a curved rear-part, the" scoop A fixedly secured on theend of the beam, the down wardly-inclined runner 0 located below and secured to the end of the beam its rear end 9 being curved upwardly, the inclined bars D on the'beam and the fingers extending from the scoop to the bars D.

2. In a potato-digger, the combination with the curved beam, of the scoop A on its end, a central finger 9 connected to the scoop having a turned rear'end, the side fingers connected to the scoop, the downwardly-inclined side bars D, having their inner ends bent at 

